Diamond Bar (Dec.13, 2001) – Cities around the Southland are emerging as leaders in the area’s ongoing effort to reduce pollution from its skies. With an eye toward maximizing dollars, cities are applying for and receiving grant money from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC), a multi- agency government group that funds transportation- related clean air projects. The MSRC recently awarded a total of $15.4 million for upcoming projects including funding for several alternative fuel heavy-duty vehicles for local cities.
“A key part of whether a new technology is accepted or not is public awareness and confidence,” says William Kleindienst, MSRC chairman and mayor of Palm Springs. “Cities play an enormously important role in demonstrating the viability of clean fuel vehicles as many of them are converting their entire city fleets.”
Cities are also able to leverage their dollars using MSRC funds since most projects require some amount of co-funding from public or private entities.
Well known for its environmentalism, the city of Santa Monica adopted an alternative fuel vehicle policy in 1993 with the goal of converting 75% of its miscellaneous fleet, such as dump trucks and light-duty trucks, to clean fuels by the year 2000. The city met its goal and last year used a $740,000 grant from the MSRC to convert 22 heavy-duty vehicles to compressed natural gas and to fund a CNG fueling station. In addition, the city has used MSRC funds for the purchase/lease of eight electric vehicle passenger cars and light duty trucks, as well as three zero emission battery-electric shuttle buses and a charging station.
According to Craig Perkins, Director of Environmental and Public Works Management for Santa Monica, the city would have still gone forward with the conversion but with the funding grant were able to leverage their dollars and do it much quicker.
“Cities are in a unique position because they traditionally under invest in their vehicle fleets,” says Perkins. “Cities have to run their old, sometimes dirty vehicles until they die because they don’t have a plan to replace them. Cities are scrambling for scarce dollars and have to compete with education, police, etc. for budget dollars. It’s easier to cut capital investment such as vehicles.”
Perkins says what’s needed is regional support to help instill consumer confidence so that people driving alternative fuel vehicles know they will be able to find a nearby refueling station.
From the Ocean to the Desert
The city of Palm Springs started out with an MSRC grant for $71,000 to fund 30 electric bikes for a demonstration program. The city loaned out the electric bikes a month at a time and recipients were required to use the bike for commuting purposes and to keep track of mileage. Robert Mohler, grants and government affairs manager for Palm Springs, says that the program was such a success, both in terms of emission reduction and public acceptance, that the city is working toward converting its entire fleet of vehicles to clean fuels.
Last spring, the city rolled out one of the largest Neighborhood Electric Vehicle fleets in California and now have 21 NEVs in use. Mohler says they held a “demo day” for the public to try out the NEVs which have a top speed of 25 mph and a range of 30 miles per charge. The NEVs are used for short-commute purposes, and will become part of Palm Springs’ permanent fleet when the one-year demonstration program ends next year.
City of Anaheim Goes Electric
The city of Anaheim, home of Disneyland and the California Angels, has formed a coalition of business and city leaders concerned about traffic problems. The Anaheim Transportation Network (ATN), a nonprofit group, started a program last spring for commuters traveling to local rail stations. For $40 a month per person, commuters can rent an electric Toyota RAV-4 and carpool to the station. The fee covers insurance, maintenance and free battery charging at any of the 13 electric vehicle charging stations in the city. The cars have about a 120-mile range before they need a six- hour charge.
The Anaheim Transportation Network also used MSRC funds to help design a web-based rideshare connection program that offers an on-line database for rideshare matching and electric vehicle reservations. The ATN also received a $47,000 MSRC grant to help fund an air quality public education curriculum for grades 3 through 6 that has reached over 400 classrooms and 12,000 students.
“Cities are helping to lead the way with innovative programs, a commitment to clean technology and strategic funding decisions,” adds Kleindienst. “All of our communities reap the benefits of clean air.”